Stuck with a Punk ✔

No. 12.: Calling in favours

If I knew how much shit I had to do, to adopt one damn meatloaf of a baby, I wouldn't do it. Yes, I could have chosen the easy way and just impregnate whichever girl would agree with it, but I'm Nathan Price and I complicate things. And because of who I am, I knew exactly who to call.

I am waiting outside the office of Heartfelt Adoption Agency, praying to whatever gods above to hear my prayer and let the meeting end quickly, so I can speak to Sue Nixon and get that baby. Sue used to be my schoolmate and sometimes, let's say, we got funky. I know she'd remember me one way or another if you know what I mean. As I am sitting there, I have nothing better to do, but to look around and try to make the time run faster.

The adoption agency is small, but workers are constantly running around, lifting phones, looking for papers and pens. Offices of social workers are small, like box offices, but not as open, they are an actual room. Doors of most offices are open and I am surprised to see how many people decided for an adoption. Then it strikes me, they probably have problems with infertility and I begin to feel like a total outsider.

The room in which Sue operates finally clears. A family of two parents and two children leave, walking down the hallway to the exit before they disappear. Sue comes out as well and until they are gone, she keeps looking at them, sometimes waving and wishing them all the best of luck.

I get up from my seat and at the sight of her, I am not as impressed as I thought I would be. Man, she used to be hot, now she is all long pencil skirts and knitted sweaters like she's some old grandma.

"Lovely family," she says and I think I'll have to bring her a box of tissues. That woman is getting emotional. Before I have to do any of that, she tears her eyes away from the family of four members that visited her before and she looks at me, blushing dark red, looking like a cooked lobster. "Nathan. Hi."

Wow, this is awkward. "Hey, there," I say and don't even try to hide my smile.

Sue is all awkwardness and hand-shakes, holding and shaking my hand for longer than usual as she is busy telling me how long has it been since she last saw me and how am I doing. She doesn't give me a chance to answer.

I decide I should take advantage of her weak meat, big eyes and wobbly knees and I hug her like an old schoolmate who used to be intimate with her that one time that it happened. To put a cherry on the top, I reach out to her some more "It's good to see you, Sue."

She stutters and hugs me back. Her fingers tremble on my arms and she can't seem to decide if she'd like me to keep hugging her or let go of her. "O-oh." she would say, sometimes whisper it. Maybe she thinks I couldn't hear her and I let her believe that. No need to get this in a more awkward position that it already is.

When I let go of her, which is soon enough and not too long, Sue fixes her bun at least six times and can't decide where to leave that one strand of her front hair that is framing her face. "So, uh, shall we?" She asks at last and shows me to her office.

The offices seem decently spacious from what I've observed from outside, but holy crap, when I am inside, I have no idea where to put my legs when I sit down. Sue has a giant office chair parked behind her table that is filled with papers, maps, files and sticky notes. The computer she has is giant, but at least it is a part of modern technology. I don't know what I expected to see, to be completely honest.

"I'm sorry that it looks so indecent." She apologises, trying to order some papers, but she doesn't really put her heart into it.

"It's okay, I really don't mind," I answer because it is the truth. Give me the baby, woman!

Sue giggles in her way and I feel sorry for her. She has a cute smile and sweet laughter, too bad she looks so plain. She looks at the computer monitor and does some typing before she looked at me "You have the papers I told you to bring?"